Diminutive Onzil Knife
Fang, Gabon
Forged iron, wood, flattened iron and copper tape
Early 20th century

Often called a "bird head" knife for its resemblance to the African Hornbill (Calao), the onzil knife was a symbolic emblem of religious prestige and social authority that was never intended for use as a knife. The onzil knife played a specific role in the context of several of the many religious societies that existed among the groups inhabiting the Ogowe basin: for the Fang this included the Ngil. The Fang were also said to have used these knives in the context of the antiwitchcraft cults, such as the Njobi.

Bird head knives symbolically represented weapons that were metaphysically aimed at hurting anyone who acted antisocially against the village community by practicing witchcraft or sorcery. The term onzil is a word used by the Fang to denote the head of a bird. The hornbill is a creature much admired in Africa for its persistence and intelligence.

The Fang, a nation made up of 200,000 individuals, are dispersed among a number of smaller groups or tribes, including the Okak, Betsi, Ntumu, Mvau, Zamane, and Chiwa (Ossyeba) (Blackmun & Hautelet, Blades of Beauty and Death, 1990; Westerdijk, The African Throwing Knife, 1988).

Mounted on a custom display stand, pictured below. 

9.75 in :: 25 cm

InventoryID #13-1108

SOLD